Rooney Row Resolved

The FAI officers last night announced a resolution of the dispute that split the five-man officer board after six hours of debate behind closed doors.

Agreement was announced on a salary package for new Chief Executive Fran Rooney and the board of management agreed to recommend the proposed new rule changes to an extraordinary general meeting of the FAI Council on September 12. The rule changes will lead to a total revamp of the management structure of the association and will include a reduction in the number of members on the board of management from 22 to 10.

The meeting on the rule changes was scheduled many weeks ago and the subject matter was to focus solely on the proposals carried unanimously at the FAI's AGM in Galway in July. But this was overtaken in the past week by a major split amongst the five members of the Officer Board.

A report indicated that three of the officers were unhappy with negotiations on the proposed salary package for Mr Rooney. There were also suggestions that some staff members at FAI headquarters in Merrion Square were unhappy at the "management style" of the new chief executive.

In this context, two members of the staff at Merrion Square, Financial Controller Peter Buckley and Richard Fahy, a member of the coaching structure, were in attendance last night.

They remained outside of the meeting and were ready to express support for Mr Rooney on behalf of the staff if the Board agreed to receive them.

Satisfaction was expressed by representatives of the two warring factions immediately after the meeting. They confirmed the terms of Mr Rooney's salary package had been agreed and that the FAI was ready now to proceed at an EGM of the full council on September 12 to pass the new rule changes into law.

Mr Rooney said the contract document would now be studied by their legal advisors prior to being signed. My belief is the contract will be formally signed at a Board meeting on September 12 prior to the EGM to pass the rule changes.

Supporters of Mr Rooney suggested prior to last night's meeting that these issues of disagreement were being raised at this time to deflect the focus of the Board of Management from the rule changes which will see the number on the Board reduced from 22 to 10.

The issue of the salary package centred on the bonus element reportedly sought by Rooney. It was suggested that if it was accepted the bonuses would enhance his salary from 250,000 to more than 500,000 when pension rights etc. were calculated into the equation.

The meeting, due to start at 4pm was delayed for more than an hour while Mr. Rooney met with the five-man officer board. It seemed clear the preliminary meeting was to allow both sides address the issues raised over the past week when President Milo Corcoran and the chief executive exchanged letters on the matters in dispute.

The members declined to discuss the events of the two meetings with the media but I understand peace broke out at the first meeting between the officers and Rooney. When they finally stood in front of the board of management, they were able to announce they had arrived at an agreement which they would put before the general body for their approval.

The subsequent meeting ran until after 10pm and everyone who was present in the room spoke on the issues. There was strong criticism of the fact the differences that split the board were, as seems usual in these circumstances, discussed through the media.

Much of the meeting was involved in discussion of the need for the imposition of a system of checks and balances designed to ensure there was no repeat of the public squabbling that took place in the past week.

The proposed rule changes for which the meeting was ostensibly arranged cannot have occupied the meeting of the board of management for any length of time because this course was approved unanimously with no dissenters when it was proposed at the AGM.

It remains to be seen whether any of the FAI associates or any outside bodies were angered at the week's developments which appeared to fall into a predictable pattern of public squabbling that has seen the FAI embroiled in public controversy regularly.

It is justified to question whether this latest public argument at the very highest level of the FAI will sit comfortably with the Government and Irish Sports Council, both of whom have supported the FAI financially.

Sadly, however, that pattern of debating differences of opinion on matters affecting the FAI is now well established and it remains to be seen whether the agreements announced last night will lead to unity amongst the members at the top table.

The President, Milo Corcoran, expressed confidence everything had been settled to the satisfaction of all concerned but when asked whether there might be an angry reaction from grassroots level, he said: "The grassroots should be happy now we have reached an agreement and that we are united in our desire to move forward to benefit the organisation and football in general."

Rooney said: "We are all interested in the same thing, in making the association the best in the world and we have had an open and honest discussion on all matters so we can now move forward and concentrate on our work for the good of football."